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Huoommmmrhuoomm ... I see ... I'll have to consider that ... huomm ... not today, of course, as it might take time ... rhuoomm ... maybe even a lot of time ... hoooommmmm ... one day I'll do that, be sure ... rrrhuooommhuom ...
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Master Caster, it is never too late . . .
( . . . never too late, never too late to love you . . . a song, if I remember right by "Kissing the Pink" fresh outta 80ies music box . . . )
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Lossoth Ice sounds like a good business venture.
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I agree with you entirely, Master Elf - even as a mere wargamer playing within the context of the War of the Ring, as far and as accurately as it can be extrapolated from LOTR and the History of ME volumes, it still worriers me that I might accidentally lose the war and see the world overrun by Orcs, or see Aragorn stomped on by a troll or something. But it's still fun enough to make it worthwhile. And the armies look so pretty (er, not really the right word, but you know what I mean) when they're all painted up and marshalled ready for battle!
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I agree with you master barliman, that's why I am enthousiast when I see other play it
I just can't do it myself, I would feel guilty 
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I suspect the best setting for serious Tolkien related war-gaming is the wars with Angmar in the mid- Third Age - when only the broad outlines of the conflict are known, but there's plenty of scope for desperate and decisive battles between the various combatants to keep things interesting.
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many things are known though about the fall of Fornost and the rise of Angmar... about Glorfindel's prophecy about hypothesis on what happened to the barrow downs afterwards precisely, about the fall of the capital of Arnor and the exile of Arvedui...
there are texts here and there... in the HoME too... and it would be hard to respect all of these texts precisely... the story is not our our to write, this is not our world
it belongs to someone else
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Anyway,
Master barliman, did you find any lossth ice or shall I start a new adventure to find some ?
Last edited by Milo (Sun, Jul18 2010 8:22am)
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Regarding the canon discussion, I often consider something like a multiverse concept, a story tree with countless coexisting future branches. In my opinion, this is reflected in Mythos, and also Tolkien's opus -- especially with "H"oME we actually have tales and fragments from several possible histories, just follow the different variants of stories, languages and etymologies from the beginning; therefore, carefully adapting storylines to create further story branches (albeit "in style" per favore -- and here, I agree, things get very complicated, and perhaps better left undone
) appears to me at least be similar in spirit to Tolkien's own creative process, and the embrace of "uncertainty". But I definitely respect contrary views on this. Just trying to offer "canonists" a path to gaming in ME. 
Last edited by protozeus (Sun, Jul18 2010 8:38am)
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there are several fantasy worlds where the "mutliverse" notion and twin dimensions are a fact, and this fact is described at one point or another at least in the genesis of this world... this way it explains the different evolutions in one dimension or another... but alas, tolkien did not include this possibility in his "genesis"... 
but all those debates makes me thirsty
.... Maybe some of those exotic drinks from the city of Korlan, down in the lands of Ardor? 
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Huoommm ... rhuoommm ... as for me, tree, sometimes in Bree, I just decided to be a bit more precise about my home ... rhuooommmm ... so I added a name ... huoom ... "Osning" that is ... rhuuoooommmm ... it's an old name for the forest I live in ... huoommm ... you cannot find that name on any map nowadays, but it's for sure the name of the forest I still live in .... huomgruoomm ... ahem ... errr ... Master Barliman? ... may I please once again have one of that topped-up-bowls-with-clear-clean-honey-coloured-non-sparkeling-watery-liquid ... ? ... huom ... and don't ry to sell me tabs, please, as this is a taproom ... rhuoommm ... whatever that means ... huooooommm
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Huoommmm ... sorry, but I didn't realize that Master Protozeus and Master Gildor are discussing more serious matters at the moment ... rhuoommm ... so I'll be silent from now on ... huom ... just listening a bit ... hooommm ... as the Man in the Dark always does .... huom
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No, no, Master Ent, I will refrain from further pursuing such topics (only adding as a last thought that such a multiverse may or may not "exist "regardless if it is mentioned by Grandmaster Tolkien or not; but in how many of them my Humpen is empty? Well, THAT is a grave matter!) ... and will now work on increasing my drunkenness to an acceptable level. Cheers to all! 
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Huoommm ... never mind, Master Protozeus ... have you ever tried to let fill that Humpen (tankard, Master Barliman) with clear-clean-non-sparkeling-you-know-what- ? .... huoomm ...
... cheers ... rhuoommtidomrubbelidom ... 
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I'm not one to leave a Humpen empty, whatever size it may be. And on a hot day like this, I'm not one to worry overmuch about the coiny things either. Let's just all sit out in the yard, under the shade of the Tree (sorry, Master Tree, bit you'll have to stand still for a while and be unhasty!) and drink a refreshing round of whatever liquid takes your fancy.
Alas, we have no one like Master Archer's beautiful Italian-background-third-generation-living-in-Germany-dark-haired-slim-girl-wearing-high-heels, only that rogue Nob to bring us a trayload of amber nectar, and he doesn't wear heels of any sort. Still, serious discussions are thirsty work, and someone has to bring the drinks.
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Huoomm ... thank you so very much, Master Barliman ... and, of course tonight I will stand still over the yard and won't move or haste ... rhuoommm ... it pleases me most to see all of you sitting outside The Prancing Pony having some refreshing drinks ... huoommm ... then the tree you see is me ... homrhuoomm
we should discuss the service in and out of your premesis later ... huomm .. as we cannot haste everything, can we? ... rhuoomm ... so let me please just stand still to provide shades of all sorts .... hooooommmmmmm
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*for the first time in eons (almost a year now...) the master elf opens up his working case, takes some pencils and some colors.... and.... begins to paint some figurines.... while drinking some fresh drinks brought to him by Nob...*
miracles happen sometimes... It's been too long... since before my child was born...
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I have to congratulate you, Sir ! I am still waiting for this kind of impulse . . . But I am happy you did! Keep your brushes wet, Master Gildor . . .
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Cheers Master elf, and don't forget to show us some off your new paintings. Being a father changes the way we see the world, therefore your painting also !
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Certainly will I try that mysterious non-sparkeling clear and colourless substance ... ahem .. well ... probably with my next Humpen to celebrate the painters! But first I will sleep a bit in the sun ...
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protozeus wrote:
Regarding the canon discussion, I often consider something like a multiverse concept, a story tree with countless coexisting future branches. In my opinion, this is reflected in Mythos, and also Tolkien's opus -- especially with "H"oME we actually have tales and fragments from several possible histories, just follow the different variants of stories, languages and etymologies from the beginning; therefore, carefully adapting storylines to create further story branches (albeit "in style" per favore -- and here, I agree, things get very complicated, and perhaps better left undone
) appears to me at least be similar in spirit to Tolkien's own creative process, and the embrace of "uncertainty". But I definitely respect contrary views on this. Just trying to offer "canonists" a path to gaming in ME.
Or indeed, to quote the master himself:
"I would draw some of the great tales in fullness,
and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched.
The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole,
and yet leave scope for other minds and hands,
wielding paint and music and drama..."
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, from a letter written to Milton Waldman, ca. 1951
Considering how bare bones and contradictory much of the work beyond the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings itself can be, I suspect there's no contradiction between being a purist and one willing to tinker around in the background of the legendarium.
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Wonderful, Master Gavin! (Other Hands -- Other Minds -- I nearly forgot about that quote and how the fanzine titles came to pass ...) 
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indeed master Gavin, assuming you are SURE you "tinker" things that have not been already written... somewhere...
the BIGGEST example and error was from Pete Fenlon when he designed the full map of Endor without taking into consideration the maps from Tolkien himself that were published in "the shaping of middle earth" a few years later and which were totally different indeed... This was an abomination but it could be excused because HoME 4 was not published at that time... Still the purist will say "you'd better not build yourself because you don't know all that's been built already..."
and as I said, only a very few people... can be certain to NOT rewrite something.... because we don't know if all manuscripts have been released and all works known to all...
*returns to his drink*
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When Fenlon drew his map, none of these things were known, or published.
The map was signed off on by Tolkien Enterprises, which was sufficient... at the time. A lot of the old MERP materials contain some weird oddities, merely because the Histories had not been published. Of course, later MERP materials included elements of the Histories, but they had no right nor license to do so. Which is just one level of the strangeness involved. But on top of all that, the histories do not include all the scrawled notes, and they do not reflect "canon" - largely because "canon" in Middle-earth can only ever be what was published in finished form. The histories are notes, abandoned or forgotten texts, fragments and ideas written over fifty years and rarely assembled into a coherent whole.
I suspect, eventually, the Tolkien Estate will assemble an actual book, a History of Middle-earth which shapes these notes into something more "coherent" - in much the same way that the Turin stories were shaped into the Children of Hurin. This will not happen while Christopher is alive - being the ultimate purist, he agonised over changing two sentences in The Children of Hurin which fixed the narrative.
But the list is not endless. There probably aren't a whole lot more exciting things to come out of the Tolkien filing cabinet. More notes and scrawls may eventually be published, but they will merely serve to illuminate the thought processes which went into the creation of one of the canonical texts. Strider is not Trotter, after all. As such, playing around in the softer areas of canon is both true to that stated wish for "other minds and hands" to work in the world.
SoI shall stick to my assertion that a game about dynastic struggles in the last years of Arthedain isn't going to contradict anything worthwhile 
Gavin
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well debating this is surely pointless as I consider myself closer to Christopher Tolkien way of thinking than from the "other minds and hands"
Maybe it's because I also take care of a Tolkien encyclopedia website & community besides Mithril 
Thus you are right master Gavin... I agree with you, "a game about dynastic struggles in the last years of Arthedain isn't going to contradict anything worthwile". That's correct.
As for me, the simple fact you use the word "worthwile" in this precise sentence forbids my "purist way of thinking" to play such games
... As I have stated elsewhere many times... I have nothing against people who do!! I just can't myself...
Besides, I like the Nazgul names and backgrounds
and after all I have the full collection of MECCG cards too so I am not totally a desperate case
well, my throat is too dry to carry on this debate 
You win master Gavin and Protozeus (though there was no real fight/debate to win as I was just explaining why I, and only I, could not give in playing such games)
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